Mon, 07 Aug 2017 10:29:59 +0000
By BENNIE MUNDANDO
IT is shocking for the Lusaka City Council to allow foreigners to engage into all forms of illegalities in land allocation with impunity to the extent of daring security wings, the Zambia Direct Democracy Movement has charged.
Speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, ZDDM president Edwin Sakala said it was shocking that the LCC, which was also a Government institution could demarcate the road right in front of the Defence School of Health Sciences Medical College without shame.
Mr. Sakala said he was taken aback to learn that there were people who held Government portfolios but were acting as accomplices by promoting illegality without recourse to accountability which was supposed to be at the cornerstone of their operations.
He said some Government wings were setting a very bad precedence which will come with huge consequences that the country will fail to deal with regarding land management and distribution.
Mr Sakala said it was an insult to the people of Zambia for a foreigner to threaten the whole army to jump before the barrel of the gun because he was protected by someone within the corridors of power.
“We are enslaving ourselves. Where have you ever heard a foreigner threatening the army and the system is quiet and not doing anything? Where have you found a council demarcating and selling a gazetted road? This is utter rubbish. A lot of illegal activities have been reported but even people in Government are quiet and that should worry us the ordinary Zambians. “We are not opposed to development but what we are opposed to is promotion of illegality. Why is the Ministry of Lands quiet over this matter? What is the Ministry of Defence doing over this matter? We will not rest until something is done. That college needs to be opened. That structure needs to be razed down. There are no two ways about it,” Mr. Sakala said.
He appealed to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to be proactive in dealing with matters of perceived corruption without necessarilly waiting for anyone to complain officially.
“You have seen how we do things in this country. The council has failed to have the structure demolished because they are the ones who created that illegal plot. The ACC is also mute for reasons best known to themselves. Surely, do they need to be told what to do before they act? This is not right,” Mr Sakala complained. A businessman has put a structure right on the Mimosa Road in Lusaka’s Emmasdale area and has blocked access to the newly-constructed Defence School of Health Sciences Medical College, whose opening is said to be in limbo following the development.
